Absence of anti‐envelope antibodies and clearance of hepatitis C virus in a cohort of Irish women infected in 1977

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Abstract
The presence or absence of antibodies to the second envelope protein (anti-E2) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) was determined in stored sera taken from a cohort of 87 Irish women with antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) who were all infected by HCV genotype 1b from contaminated anti-D immunoglobulin given in 1977. Anti-E2 was found in 16 patients (100%) who were HCV RNA positive but only in 31 of 50 patients (62%) who were HCV antibody positive by recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) but HCV RNA negative. In the remaining 21 sera taken from women who had indeterminate recombinant immunoblot assays and who were repeatedly negative on testing for HCV RNA, anti-E2 was found in only three cases (14%). This suggests that loss or absence of anti-E2 may be useful in confirming clearance of HCV.